


Humanity's Third Strongest Soldier

by Midnight_Serenity



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-02
Updated: 2018-07-25
Packaged: 2018-11-07 22:01:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11068005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midnight_Serenity/pseuds/Midnight_Serenity
Summary: “To protect humanity. To save it! You Subject 6292 are the key. The strongest alive!” A young woman's mission to help the remainder of humanity from the horrors of a titan infested world. She must learn to control her abilities, become a useful member of the survey corps but most of all, find her humanity. Where she will fit into the world, who she will call friend and foe. She has been around a long time. But nothing will prepare her for whats to come.Rated M for mature content. Blood, Gore,Violence. Romance in later chapters, its going to be a dark and exciting ride. OC desperately trying to save everyone. Working closely with Commander Erwin and the survey corps.Author Note: while this is heavily focused on my OC, I will not be downplaying any of the other characters from the Attack on Titan universe. I'm putting as much cannon in as possible.





	1. Before the Reign of Titans

# Prologue chapter: Before The Reign Of Titans

Attack on Titan Fanfic 

Author: Midnight_Serenity

~Year 743~

Escape.

Free yourself.

Clad in nothing more than a hospital gown and a pair of white shorts, Subject 6292 trudged through a long, well-lit hallway, as those two phrases echoed over and over in her mind. She didn’t know how long she had been walking, but she prayed that she found an exit soon, as she was tiring fast. Making her way to the end of the hall, she spotted a pair of double-sided swinging doors. Heading towards it, the young woman hoped there was a path outside beyond the doors.

Pushing past the doors, she was greeted with a large medical room. Looking around, she noticed a bed adorned with straps across it positioned on the opposite side of the room. Next to it, a tray on wheels filled with every sharp medical tool imaginable. Outwardly cringing, she quickly looked away from the area. The bed alone made her slightly nauseous, making her recall all the times she lay, strapped to a similar bed, experimented on for hours on end until her screams of pain became nothing more than whimpers.

When not experimented on, the scientists and doctors in charge of her would send in guards to lock her away in a tiny cell, barely big enough to hold a small bed and toilet. Though small, she thought of her cell as a safe haven, away from the unspeakable horrors preformed on her and the countless other test subjects daily. She was recently told that she was the only subject left alive — a great achievement in their eyes — as the last of the subjects had died. Succumbed to the many experiments. Unable to handle the stress put on their bodies. Why take so many people from their homes and experiment on them? “To protect humanity. To save it! You Subject 6292 are the key. The strongest alive!” Those words were drilled into her head from the time she was old enough to understand them — as if those words justified all the pain and suffering she endured since she was a child. To her, it was all pointless — pointless agony inflicted on her and the other subjects — and angered her. So much wasted life. Those people had families to go home to every day. A name. A life waiting for them outside the facility that they would never be able to go back to. Everything she never had. When she turned thirteen, the doctors had told her she had been brought to the facility as a baby. She had been abandoned, having been found in a trash can by one of the scientists. Now, at twenty-three years old, she was 5’5” with long, partly wavy, onyx-colored hair down just past her shoulders; a pale complexion from being indoors all her life, and eyes that were dark brown, until an experiment to enhance her vision turned her eyes a bright violet color when she was only eight years old. She was slim but toned due to her forced workouts. When she wasn’t in a torture room, healing from a recent experiment, or locked in her cell, she was in a training room to keep her in top form physically and taught to control her abilities, which was run by the head of security, Bram. She shivered just thinking about his name. She constantly went back and forth of what was worse: training her newfound abilities, or receiving them.

She had never seen the outdoors. Never felt the sun on her face, or the grass under her feet. Her only glimpses of the outside world were through the thick windows that lined the facility’s walls. A passing, drug-induced glimpse as she was strapped to a bed and carted to her next torture session.

She couldn’t handle it anymore. Pain was all she knew. Her first memory coated with the worst pain imaginable, at the time. She recalled the memory vividly as the doctors had dragged her into a brightly lit room and held her down on a surgical table while a scientist branded subject numbers on the inside of her small, right inner wrist. She was no older than three. At the time, she thought that was the worst thing they could do to her. She had been very wrong.

She had resolved herself to escape and one night found the courage to snag the keys to her cell off a drunk security guard as he staggered past her cell. Biding her time for the perfect opportunity to slip away, she waited for the last security round to walk past her, knowing her window was short she quickly unlocked her cell letting her feet carry her hopefully towards an exit. She was extremely lucky that she hadn’t run into anyone yet. Too lucky.

A sudden stab of pain in her right arm shocked her out of her thoughts. Grabbing her arm in reflex, she glanced down to see that a swirl of dark blue patterns had snaked their way down her arm, stretching down through her forearm and stopping right at the bone of her wrist. Her entire right arm glowed blue where the patterns lay, emitting a small static charge around her arm. Almost wildly.

“Oh no! Please don’t flare up now!” she pleaded. One of the last experiments she suffered through involved the doctors doing a series of injections in her arm which resulted in the patterns and the ability to control electricity gathered throughout the air and channeled through her patterns, releasing it onto her enemies. In theory, anyways. She couldn’t quite control it just yet, since she had escaped a measly three weeks after the incident.

Out of the blue, through the double swinging doors she had just come from, she faintly heard the sound of multiple voices. Panicking, she took another quick look around the room, now even more desperate to find an exit. She was so close! Shed be damned if she allowed herself to be caught again when freedom was at hand.

To the opposite side of the bed stood a door. Above it, in big green letters, read “EXIT”. “There! Go go go!” she whispered to herself, already half way to the door at a jogging speed. Reaching it, she quickly turned the handle and pushed past the door with all her strength, hearing the voices steadily grow louder — so much louder that she instinctively checked behind her while taking off at a dead run, hoping no one was behind her.

She didn’t make it farther than a few feet before she tripped over something large and fell over hard on her face. “Ouch! What the hell?” She rose to a sitting position and looked behind her, trying to figure out what she had tripped over.

What she saw made every muscle in her body tense up.

To this day, she has never forgotten the sight that was in front of her.

A dead body lay sprawled out on the ground at an unnatural angle, most likely having moved slightly from her tripping over it. Pale, unseeing grey eyes looked almost through her. It was a female — around thirty or so — in what looked like a lab uniform that was once a bright white color but was now stained with dark red, drying blood. A small squeak of fear escaped Subject 6292’s lips as she quickly backed away from the corpse.

“Oh shit. Oh crap. Look at all the blood.” A pool of blood surrounded the body. She instinctively checked her person and realized that due to her tripping over the woman’s body, she was covered in the drying, caked blood, from her hands down to her elbows and over the entirety of her knees. Attempting to wipe the blood from her hands on the grass, she took another hesitant look at the corpse. She didn’t recognize the woman as one of her doctors, but knew the lab uniform was the same.

Brushing herself off as best as she could, she rose to her feet and noticed what looked like stab wounds on various parts of the body. Looking away again — lest she throw up — she started to move away from the scene when something to the right of the body shimmered. Moving back to the corpse, she bent down to get a closer look at the shiny object. “A name tag,” she observed while picking up the tag and turning it over, curious to know the dead woman’s name for some reason. On the other side of the tag in big black lettering read the name “MIA” in all uppercase letters.

The name struck something inside of her — like a lightbulb going off in her head.

This name was meant for her.

This was her name.

This name belonged to her.

She didn’t have to be Subject 6292 anymore.

Her name was Mia.

Just Mia.

Maybe a last name would come along one day, but for now, she was one step closer to becoming more than a tool. More than an object to be used and abused. She was a person. A human being.

Clutching the name tag to her bosom — almost cradling it — she felt tears slowly streak down her face and realized she was crying. Silently weeping. Crying because she was happy. This is what it meant to be human. Or, at least, a small part of it. How could something as small as a name make her burst into tears? Here she stood in the grass next to a beautiful forest with nothing but trees as far as the eye could see, finally able to feel the soft yet rough strands of grass and the warmth of the sun on her face. She felt alive.

So lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice the door opening behind her, revealing one of the security personnel stepping outside. His loud breathing was the only thing to give him away. Mia snapped her head around, her eyes going wide in fear as she stared into the bright green eyes of the big burly man who was now no more than five feet from her.

Panting heavily, he swung the door back open. “Bors! Samson! Get out here, I found the runaway!” he yelled to his fellow guardsmen, all the while never taking his piercing eyes off of Mia, as if afraid she would bolt away from him if he looked away for one second. Unfortunately for Mia, she was rooted to the spot.

“No!” she pleaded, “Move, body, move!” yet her body did not obey her. She remembered the green eyes of this man all too well. The eyes of Bram, the one in charge of the cell unit she was held in and her abusive training instructor. He got off on taunting all the subjects. Making their lives even more of a hell than usual — if that was even possible. He brought metal objects — usually a metal spoon or fork he had previously eaten with — and slid them across all the bars of the cells while he walked by, creating a horrible clanging sound, cackling as he went. He would beat anyone who protested or stood up to him. He also had a weird interest in observing the experiments that the subjects in his “care” were going through, including Mia’s. She lost count of all the times she would be in an experimental room and spot his ugly smile and piercing green eyes across the room — in the darkest corner near the door — staring at her while she screamed and begged for mercy. He was always watching. Tall and all muscle, though with age he developed a beer belly and couldn’t do as much physically, which only made him more angry and abusive. He had short, slicked-back, dirty blond hair that looked like he put too much gel in it, giving it an almost greasy look to it.

Time seemed to speed up for a minute as Bram took a step towards her. Her body finally listened to her commands and she quickly regained her footing and took a step back, noting the two men whom he had called out to emerging from the door. Samson and Bors were twins, and just as big and burly as Bram. They both had bright ginger hair and smug, identical smiles on their faces.

Samson and Bors looked in Mia’s direction. “Now now, little miss,” Bram sneered, trying to coax her, “why don’t you just come back inside with us nice and easy, before this gets messy, huh?”

Mia cringed at his words. She moved her sights to the twins, and then back to Bram, making sure that none of them made a move for her. She disregarded Bram’s words and continued to take steps back away from the three men, who matched her step for step.

Impatience flashed in Bram’s eyes, and he took his gun from behind his back and pointed it at her. “Last chance girl, or I shoot,” he said. “You won’t die, of course — I know how fast you can heal — but that doesn’t mean I can’t cripple you and drag you back inside.”

Mia stopped dead in her tracks at the sound of his acidic words. A cold sweat dripped down her back as she looked at the three men in terror.

“Maybe I’ll aim for the lower leg,” Bram said as he lowered his gun towards Mia’s leg, “or maybe the fleshy thigh area? No, the knee cap! Ha-ha, yes, that’s it. A freak like you will heal from that in a day or so, but the satisfaction it will give me to watch you in pain will last much longer.” At this rate, Mia would be shot and unable to do anything but helplessly be dragged back into hell.

NO! She couldn’t allow that. She wouldn’t allow that! She had come too far to let this psycho and his posse drag her back. She had made it outside by herself, and, in the short time out here, already gave herself a name! 

Mia steeled herself and glared at the men, silently defying them while trying to figure a way to escape. She couldn’t outrun them while she was this close. She could outrun Bram, but the twins would most likely catch her. To make matters worse, she was running out of energy fast.

“Hey, you little shit!” Bram called. “What’s with that disrespectful look you are giving me?! Unacceptable! Now you’re going to pay! Bors, Samson, shoot her! If she dies the Docs will just have to start over!”

Almost as if in slow motion, Mia watched the twins grab their guns from their backs and take aim at her. Bram unlocked the safety on his gun, the twins following suit, and shouted, “3...2...1...FIRE!”

Within two seconds of each other, all the guns discharged towards her, all aiming at different parts of her body. Mia screamed desperately, instinctively crossing her arms in front of her face and closing her eyes in a desperate attempt to save her life.

Her right, marked arm suddenly glowed and crackled with power and lightning, as if sensing she was in danger. A protective bubble of lightning formed around her, a foot wide on each side, deflecting all the incoming bullets.

Confused as to why she wasn’t in awful pain or dead, Mia opened her eyes and slowly lowered her arms, taking everything in, staring in awe at the force field she had created unintentionally. Than down at her glowing arm. Cutting her job-well-done short, she heard a round of gasps and whispering coming from the three men. Turning back to her attackers, who wore faces ranging from disgust, to fear, to anger, she saw Bram aim his gun at her again, ordering the twins to fire at her once more. Veins popped from out of his neck in anger as he ushered the command, calling her a disgusting creature and telling the twins to aim to kill.

All three took aim at her head and once again fired. Afraid for her life, Mia thrust her cursed arm towards the men, shouting, “NO! Stay away!”

The force field around her sprang to life, crackling with lightning and expanding out towards the guards. It was so fast that the men had no time to react before they were knocked off their feet and slammed into the wall of the building behind them with a sickening crunching sound. Without a doubt, the force of the blast had broken some of their bones.

Bram and his men crumpled to the ground in a heap as lightning caused by the blast danced around their bodies. The body of the late woman known as Mia also got caught in the blast, slamming into a tree with deadly force and falling on the ground in a bloody heap, tainting the tree trunk with splatters of blood. Mia stood in silent shock for a minute before partly keeling over, holding her marked arm and panting. She had used up all her strength, but knew she had to leave. Now.

Mia turned on her heel and ran as fast as she could into the forest, worried that the sounds caused by the blast would attract more unwelcome guests — or, worse, if somehow those three got up and came after her. While the second though was more unlikely, her irrational mind went that route. All she wanted to think of was getting away.

She continued running, her black hair trailing behind her. She wasn’t sure how far she ran, but she constantly looked behind her to make sure no one was following her. Looking back in front of her, she came to a screeching halt though a clearing though the woods where the grass stopped and dirt began. She had almost run right off a cliff — at least a fifteen foot drop where the earth straightened out into a stretch of dirt wasteland.

“Well shit that was close,” she mumbled under her breath, scolding herself. “C’mon Mia pay attention.”

Suddenly, she heard a loud explosion below the cliff. Looking down, she could only explain the scene below as chaos.

People everywhere — soldiers to be exact — clad in different uniforms which signified their alliances, all fighting each other. Some with guns, others with swords; most on foot while others on horseback; hacking and slashing each other or shooting the guns until the clips ran empty.

“Could this be what my doctors meant by saving humanity? To end this crazy madness going on below me?” Mia stared in disbelief at the grisly scene. Soldiers as far as the eye could see, and blood tainting the dirt. She hated every part of it. So many wasted lives. And for what. Land? Money? Glory? It was heartbreaking to witness. It was true she had many abilities, but as she was now, she doubted she could make much of a difference.

As if waiting until her thoughts had ended, she heard an odd chopping sound growing closer — a sound she had never heard before. Turning her violet eyes to the sky, she saw a giant plane fly towards the fighting below. Towards her. No one below seemed to care about the new arrival, too focused on the battle.

The plane stopped just before the area of the fighting and hovered high above the battle. The back of the plane slowly opened, and bodies were introduced to the sky, headed down towards the ground. Taking a closer look, Mia observed the bodies almost doubling in size — no, tripling. That was impossible though… right?

In the end, her eyes were not deceiving her. Naked bodies rained down from the sky. With no anatomy parts, Mia noted. She lost count after fifty, but there were many more. As the first couple of bodies hit the ground, the earth seemed to crumble beneath their weight. The ground below — and even where she stood above — started to rumble with each body that hit the ground with terrifying force. With a cry, Mia stumbled and fell on her bruised hands and knees, just missing toppling over the cliff for a second time. Her whole body shook in time with the dropping figures. She lifted her head as high as she could, watching form after form topple to the ground. After the last body fell to the growing pile of limbs and heads, the ramp raised to the rest of the plane and took off, disappearing into the distance.

With the ground at peace again, Mia slowly rose to her feet and peered down to the soldiers. The fighting had ceased, most of the remaining army forces gaining their footing and staring at the sight behind them. The huge, almost-mountain of flesh started to emit a large cloud of steam from it, quickly covering the mountain of body parts. Everyone remained still, including Mia. The only sound for miles the whistling of the steam from the bodies.

Mia had a horrible feeling in her gut as the steam started to clear. The ground shook once. Twice. Three times. Not as bad as when the bodies fell, but still noticeable — almost like footsteps. Then, a face appeared from the remainder of the steam. Features slightly crooked, eyes too big for its face, and a mouth full of jagged teeth, smiling creepily at the solders below as it started towards them. It had a full head of chestnut brown hair that lightly fluttered in the wind as it walked, and was massive in scale. Mia wagered it could easily tower above where she was. The large naked beast made almost happy grunting sounds as it walked to the nearest group of soldiers. Behind the chestnut mountain of a monster, more towering creatures emerged, one after another, all shapes and sizes, and all terrifying in their own rights. Some smiling, some holding their head as if in pain, others with champion-class poker faces.

Finally, the chestnut mountain reached one of the soldiers on horseback, and bent down to grab the man by the head, resulting in the familiar bellows of pain as he was hoisted higher and higher in the air. Outbursts from the man’s fellow comrades began, demanding the creature to release their friend. The mountain of a being paid no mind to the soldiers, though, instead bringing the man it held in its hands to its mouth. Raising its captive a little more, the chestnut-haired creature ducked its head a little, opening its mouth of sharp teeth, then lowered the screaming soldier halfway into its mouth and bit down. In one bite, it severed the man in half, raining blood everywhere. Only his head to his mid-abdomen were left.

The soldier went limp, his eyes going dull. Blood caked the creature’s mouth and splattered around its cheeks. The creature then began to chew, clearly content for the moment with its half-eaten meal, though it would no doubt finish it later.

That triggered the madness.

The once roar of soldiers in battle turned to screams of terror, pain, and death as the rest of the creatures advanced, and the feast of human flesh began.

Mia stood open-mouthed, fear and disbelief coating her expression, but that was when she knew.

This is what her doctors and scientists had meant.

This was the end of humanity.

Things were going to drastically change and grow worse by the day.

And she wasn’t ready.

At all.

 

**END OF PROLOGUE**

 

Thank you guys for reading! I hope you enjoyed this prologue as much as I enjoyed making it! Big thanks to werelupewoods for helping me edit it! You the best girl! Im already working on the first few chapters so look out for those!


	2. Contact

Attack on Titan Fanfic

Author: Midnight_Serenity

Chapter 2: Contact 

~ Year 844 ~ 

Twenty-nine-year-old Mia wandered aimlessly along a grassy plain on a hot summer day. She had been alone for a long time, honing her skills and abilities, keeping the monsters around her at bay, including herself. Her main goal was to search for her purpose in life, for the phrase that had been burned into her mind years ago, was slipping away with each year, becoming a distant whisper. 

To Protect Humanity! To save it! Subject 6292, you are the key! 

Shaking the cobwebs of her past from her head, Mia noticed a patch of something red on the ground to her right. Turning towards the sight, she blew out a sigh, realizing what it was. A trail of blood. If there was one thing she could count on being out here for so long, it was this simple sentence. 

**When you follow a trail of blood, always expect the unexpected.**

With her outfit a faded black form fitting pair of pants and shirt, three-dimensional maneuvering gear, and the wings of freedom cloak, Mia scanned the area where the trail of blood began and trailed towards an area of forest. She felt a drop of sweat roll down her cheek as she surveyed the area, cursing the heat and her luck. Even with the hood on the cloak up over her head, the blasted thing did nothing to keep the heat off her head. She felt her horse twitch beneath her, as if unnerved by the blood trail. The horse, a chestnut mare who she had stumbled upon a few years back; had been completely covered in blood. Mia had figured the blood came from her previous rider, most likely from a monster attack, and from the state of the mare; Mia knew it had happened recently. 

The mare had been aimlessly wandering the forest, eyes wide and panicked as Mia watched from a hiding spot in the trees. Something had told her to approach the mare, so she had jumped down from her hiding place and slowly inched towards the horse, softly talking to her with each step. It had taken some time to calm the mare enough to let Mia touch her, let alone ride her but Mia was persistent and with a few hours of patient love and affection, the mare calmed down enough for Mia to clean off what she could of the blood. Later that same day she had taken her new mare down to a small body of water she had recently discovered to fully get the blood and gore off the poor horse. While Mia cleaned off her new companion she decided to name the mare Red, not the best name in terms of originality but it seemed to fit perfectly. After wandering around for a hundred years alone, she was more than happy to have some sort of presence around besides the horrid monsters she now mostly avoided with ease. 

She couldn’t believe how long it had been since that day of her escape. 

**One hundred years.**

In the beginning of her freedom from the clutches of the facility that created her, she’d felt duty bound to hone her skills to kill as many of the creatures as possible, while keeping her abilities in check and learning the ins and outs of what she was capable of. Twenty years later, realizing she had not made any headway with taking down any sizeable amount of the beasts; she became discouraged, as more always seemed to pop up. Around her thirtieth year alone, she had almost perfected how to use her abilities including her strange markings on her arm. Her biggest worry outside the ever-growing amounts of monsters roaming about was her age, or lack of aging to be exact. She never had human contact outside of her time in the facility, but she knew it wasn’t normal to not age after a certain point. Or at least at a much slower rate than the average person. She seemed stuck around the age of late twenties to early thirties. She wasn’t sure anymore. 

Though her lack of aging seriously worried her, she distracted herself with knowing all she could about the beasts. It seemed the monsters were only multiplying over the years instead of dying out like she had hoped. She knew they didn’t have a solid food source, excluding themselves, so she figured they would have died a long time ago. But having observed them for so long much to her dismay, they didn’t seem to require a steady source of food or water. In turn when she hit her fiftieth year alone, she began to ignore the beasts completely, sensing when they were near and planning her spot to avoid and or hide from them accordingly. The only reason to pay any attention to them was when a monster displayed a different behavior pattern than normal, which was a rare occurrence. 

In the few months before finding Red, she had come across had a massive wall as far as the eye could see. The sight stopped her dead in her tracks, using her super human eyes to take a closer look, she observed a large group of monsters surrounding the area, as if waiting for something. She decided to stake out in a tree for a few days wondering if something would emerge from the wall, yet never keeping her eyes from the hordes of monsters around the wall, some wandering around the perimeter of the wall, others clawing or banging on it. It was as if the beasts were waiting for something to emerge from the wall. She had half a mind to go closer to get a better look but stayed cautious and never got more than a few miles near the wall. Too much risk in her opinion. Not only was it crawling with monsters, but she had no idea what lay beyond the wall. For all she knew it could be more monsters just trapped. Though that thought changed her second day surveying the wall. 

The calm yet chilly morning air became interrupted by a commotion. The beasts surrounding the wall seemed to be lured away by people hanging from the wall on what she now knew as maneuvering gear. Her highly sensitive eyes could easily make out multiple people putting their lives on the line to lure as many beasts as possible away. They got close enough to catch the monsters attention yet just out of there reach. From there a large army of people in a uniform Mia had never seen before rushed from the wall on horseback, their green cloaks flying in the wind towards her direction. Making sure she was fully hidden in the trees, she waited for the army of soldiers to pass her. Noting each expression that whizzed past her, uncomfortable and undeniably scared. Though there were a select few that tried to look determined, and others with no fear in their eyes. Mia commended them for their brave attitudes. When she was sure the soldiers were a good distance away from her, she jumped down from her hiding spot and dashed the opposite way. She wasn’t quite ready to make contact anyone yet. And wasn’t sure if they were friendly or willing to accept her, after all she was known before as nothing more than a freak to the only people she ever knew when she was locked in the facility. 

A few months later, she would find Red and mount the horse for the first time, who led Mia to a gruesome sight past a clearing of trees. She could only guess it was the area where her previous rider had died as blood stains coated the green grass and dripped from the trees near the clearing. Large puddles of blood, body parts, and machinery scattered the open area, but thankfully no monsters were in sight or near the area. She had scoured the area thoroughly, finding enough parts to put together a maneuvering gear that seemed to be form fitting, a harness like device that allowed amazing mobility for her once she had fully mastered how to use it -though it had taken her a full month to learn how to use the machine since it needed some sort of gas cylinders to use and they were super rare-. The second item she had found was a mostly unbloodied dark green cloak, marked on the back, a pattern of blue and white shapes, resembling wings. The same cloak she had seen the people from the wall wear. She had left the grisly sight shortly after finding those items, grateful for the cloak as the weather changed seasons, and the nights turned colder. 

Blinking back the memories, Mia directed Red towards the trail of blood her thoughts turning to the worst possible outcome. _‘Perhaps its another massacre of the people of the wall, done in by a horde of monsters. Or another set of those abnormal monsters that fought to the death.’_ she had only witnessed the latter happen a few times, noting the behavior of the monsters to be vastly different than the normal ones. Her thoughts were cut short as she and Red walked into the clearing, still following the trail. The clearing was a breathtaking mass of lush grassland ranging a few miles in every direction. The only thing hampering the view were pools of blood littering the area. Turning behind Red in the saddle she observed the trail of blood behind them, noticing the trail veer to the left of where they were. A sickeningly wet crunching sound drew her attention back to the scene in front of her. Her eyes grew big as she took in the scene in front of her again. Off to the left of the field, blood caked the entire grassy plane. The wet sticky substance dripping from the blades of grass into huge puddles, dripping down tree trunks surrounding the area. Human body parts lay in every which direction. Torsos, legs, hands, even some heads in almost a sick design around the field. It was like a ying and yang sign, the whole left side a bloody mess and the right side a beautiful green grass paradise. 

The crunching sound sounded through the grassy plain again. Turning back towards the left side of the field Mia sought out the noise. A ten-foot-tall monster crouched, its back turned to her, wetly crunching on what she could only assume was another poor unsuspecting soldier. Red started pawing at the earth, clearly unsettled by being so close to one of the beasts. She stroked the mare affectionately hoping to calm the nervous horse. Red pawed at the ground once again, her front hoof landing in a puddle of blood making a squelching sound loud enough that the monster took notice from across the field, turning its hideous blood-stained face towards them. She was suddenly hit with two frightening sights at once. The ugly nature of the creature, its mouth and cheeks stained with fresh and drying patches of blood and eyes two different colors, one blue one light brown, matching the light brown hair on its head. Yet the unsightly mess of a beast was not the worst sight. What was inside the beast’s mouth, was what made everything in her freeze. A soldier, male in his mid-twenties with blond hair stained red with his own blood, dangling upside down, an arm and lower body trapped in the teeth of the beast while the other lay free and limp by the boy’s bloody tear stained face; his tears streaming upwards towards the base of his hairline. The boys’ wide blue eyes full of fear and pain found hers, and with the last of his strength tried to stretch his arm towards her his mouth opening and closing rapidly, trying to plead with her to save him, yet all he could muster was a small squeak of a sound, yet she heard it. She inhaled sharply as something inside her mind snapped. She was brought back to the day of her escape, watching helplessly from her ledge as countless humans were chewed on and devoured by monsters. 

“You are the one to save the world! The key!” 

Her doctor’s words raced through her mind. 

She couldn’t lie dormant any longer. 

Couldn’t hide any more. 

She had more than enough years to hone her abilities. Her gaze focused on the boys once again. This boy, needed her help here and now. Even if he didn’t live past her getting him away the monster, if she couldn’t heal his injuries, she would at least do everything in her power to get the boy away from the beast. Her mind resolved, she jumped off Reds back and unsheathed her two swords attached to her maneuvering gear, aiming one of the iron wires into the front flesh of the monsters’ broad shoulder, propelling her straight towards the face of the beast, taunting it with new prey. The beast groaned in pain as the wire struck its flesh, yet took her as bait, reaching out to grab her and opening its mouth wide in anticipation of the new meal, in turn releasing the boy who quickly slipped through its teeth, falling towards the ground. She flipped backwards using her quick reflexes to anchor herself feet first onto the huge palm of the beast, while at the same time releasing her second iron wire to the ground whizzing past the boys falling figure and embedding itself into the soft ground below. As soon as her feet touched the palm of the monster, she bent her knees, pushing off the palm just as it was started to close around her. She aimed herself towards the boy’s figure while sheathing her swords, outstretching her hands towards him, cradling his head and supporting him just below the teeth indents in the boys’ torso, careful not to touch the hurt area. Once he was in her arms she landed on the ground next to the monster, using her leg muscles and upper body strength to keep the boy from touching the ground. Harder than it looked as the boy was physically larger than she was, yet she cradled his upper body, allowing his legs to softly touch the ground. She looked up towards the opposing beast as it made an angry grunting sound noticing both its meals had vanished in a flash. 

The monster raised its closed fist, wanting to crush both Mia and the boy where they sat on the ground below it. She saw through the attack, unhinging the wire still embedded in the beasts’ flesh and clicking a switch in her control to emit a gust of gas, pushing them away from the monsters’ fist as it slammed into the blood-stained earth moments later. She tucked the boys head into her shoulder as they flew inches from the ground. She pivoted her body making sure that when they both hit the ground, She took the brunt of the impact. She winced in slight pain as they finally impacted, a good few meters from the beast sliding a few feet longer before coming to a stop. She shook off the pain, using her left arm to move the boy carefully off her, gently setting his head on the ground. His eyes were no longer open, and she wasn’t sure if he still drew breath but for the moment she couldn’t worry about him. She stood positioning herself in-between the beast and the boy, unsheathing her swords once more. She had to lure it away, to keep it from harming the boy any more than he already was. The beast was already stomping towards them as an idea came to her mind. She used the same tactic she used to get away from the beast with the boy, releasing both wires through the monsters’ pelvic area, embedding them and releasing some gas to propel her quickly between the parting between its legs, slicing the tender flesh as she flew past, closing her eyes to the blood and steam that came from the wounds. She straightened her legs using them as a stopping mechanism, and turned to face the monster, watching it fall to its knees as steam poured from both legs, healing the wounds within seconds. Yet her distraction worked, angering the beast as it turned to look at her, regaining its footing and lunging at her. Mia easily dodged using the wire from the gear to lodge into a tree to back-flip herself onto it, using her legs to stand in a vertical position on the tree, the wire supporting her weight as she watched the monster plow into the ground where she stood. 

Mia watched the dust settle, observing the monster lying flat on its stomach, trying to gain its footing, giving her a perfect view of its exposed neck. She wasted no time, focusing on her core, feeling her swords twitch in her hands as her muscles contracted with the power from within, a warm feeling that activated the marks that lay on her right arm, spreading through her body. The dark blue marks on her arm lit up, snaking its way up her shoulder and neck finally reaching her right eye, causing both of her violet eyes turn almost neon. The air crackled around her with electricity, focusing mostly on her marks and outstretched her right arm with sword, sending an electric blast at the beast slashing deep marks into the beasts back causing blood to spill heavily. The beast pushed into a sitting position snarling and screaming in pain trying to reach the now steaming wounds in its back. She smirked at the mess of a monster, proud of her handiwork. Her smile vanished as she focused on her killing blow, anchoring herself towards the screaming beast for the last time, firing one of her wires onto the back of the neck of the beast, slicing though the base of the neck with precision. The beast stopped screaming to let out one last grunt before falling face down with a heavy thud. She landed on the middle of the monsters back, craning her neck back to make sure she had cut far enough to kill it. She couldn’t be too careful. 

Once she was satisfied she turned her focus to the boy who lay awake, watching her from the same spot she had set him down, his eyes half lidded yet full of pain and what she could only describe as awe mixed with fear. That was a new expression for her. She jumped down from the corpse and slowly approached the young man. The last thing she wanted was to frighten the him more than he clearly was. Her display of powers most likely didn’t help his fear. She bent down to the boy once she got close enough closing her eyes momentarily to move her marks away from her eyes and neck and towards her hand, the marks slowly covering her whole arm and around her hand, moving to swirl around her palm in a circle, the dark blue color turning a lighter shade. She placed her glowing hand on the boys bloodied chest noticing him try to move away from her and speak yet his voice failed him again, instead he started coughing violently, the cough bringing up blood spurting from his mouth. She smiled sadly, knowing she had precious little time, yet still tried to comfort him. 

“Hush now its alright. I will not hurt you I only want to heal you. Lie still or you will make your injuries worse.” Mia used what she hoped was a comforting voice hoping to steady the boy, so she could fully focus on him. 

He seemed to believe her words, settling down under her touch. Satisfied, Mia turned her attention to mending the boys’ wounds, yet always keeping an eye out not trusting another beast to appear. She noticed Red had not moved much from the spot Mia leapt from her. She could feel the presence of a small horde not too far away, thanking the stars her faithful horse has decided not to run off, for if the boy survived, she would need to get him away quickly. 

“Who are you?” Mia blinked, looking down at the boy who had weakly spoke to her. 

“I don’t remember seeing you when we left the for the mission.” The boy spoke to her again, his eyes looking less lifeless and almost fully alert, the only thing betraying him was his weak tone and pale demeanor. 

“I am not from the wall.” Was all she said, relieved to see him recovering checking his injuries. His wounds were not as severe, yet he could still die if he was left untreated. 

“But you wear the Wings of Freedom! The cloak all the soldiers receive when they choose to join the Scouting Legion!” The boy continued to protest. Mia cringed a little at his persistence. 

“The gear you possess is also a part of the Scout Legion. You masterfully used it to kill the titan that almost killed me. Who are you?” Titans? He must be referring to the monster she had slain. Mia made a mental note to file the word away. 

_‘Well crap'_ She inwardly sighed, remembering he mentioned the cloak and maneuvering gear. It was so much a part of her that she completely overlooked the questions it would stir up if she ran into anyone from the wall. 

Mia was thinking of an excuse to tell the young man but thought against it. He was still injured and the last thing she wanted was to tell him the truth and excite him enough to open the wounds she had taken the time to heal. Her advanced hearing suddenly picked up the faint rumbling of hoof beats from a distance as well as thunderous footsteps closing in on them from the west. _‘More soldiers it sounds like, I doubt this man was alone with his squad. Probably a search and rescue group looking for his squad. From the speed and second set of steps, they are being pursued. More beas…titans. Wonderful.’_ Mia looked to the west, trying to judge the distance of the soldiers and mons…. titans. She really needed to get used to that word, especially now that she was about to be thrown out of her solitary world. 

“Can you stand? We need to move.” Mia whistled Red to their side, barely registering the boys questioning look and soft reply that he would attempt to stand. She moved Red’s saddle back in place from her jumping off it and looked back at the boy as he winced in pain. She gently helped the boy to his feet, keeping one of his arms over her shoulder and letting him lean on her for support, slowly walking towards her horse. As heavy as he was leaning on her, she doubted he could stand on his own or mount Red by himself, yet he surprised her with his next comment. 

“I’m not sure what your magic did to me, but I feel great. It’s a bit hard to stand but my body feels strong for being in the mouth of a titan barely more than a few moments ago.” Mia watched the boy from the corner of her eye as he spoke, wincing with every step they took, knowing he didn’t feel as great as he was trying to lead on. Than it struck her, he was trying to lighten the mood. 

Mia smiled a bit, he almost died a horrible death and the first thing he did when saved was to try lighten the situation with humor. He gained a bunch of respect from her in that moment. Reaching the mare she helped the boy gingerly settle into the saddle before gracefully mounting in front of him and grabbed Red’s reigns telling the boy to hold on to her middle tightly and setting off at a canter towards the west as soon as she felt his arms wrapped around her. 

“Why are we in such a hurry? You took care of the titan and are in the clear for the moment. And what DID you do to me? I mean you were able to bring me to my feet in a matter of minutes.” Not able to hold back his questions any longer, the boy deemed this the best time to get answers. 

“No, there are more headed this way and they are not alone. I hear the clip clop of hoof-beats. No doubt more people, if I had to guess I’d say it was some of your companions possibly looking for you. Most likely being chased or chasing the …titans.” Mia finished her sentence slowly, making sure to use the term the boy used for the beasts lest he ask her another series of questions. 

“We are going to investigate, hopefully reunite you with them, if they still breathe by the time we get there.” She continued, kicking Red into a faster pace, she felt a powerful aura amongst the group of humans, so she knew they would still be alive by the time the two of them arrived to help. 

“Thank you.” She felt the young man tighten his grip around her middle as he murmured his thanks. 

The two of them cleared the bulk of the forest, now completely in the open. “What is your name? I feel weird not knowing it since you already know mine.” Mia steered Red left of their position, feeling the titans and humans close by. 

Mia could almost feel the smile from the boy as he answered her. “My name is Alric. Alric Altman.” 

“Nice to meet you Alric. You may call me Mia. We are almost there, hang tight.” Mia hoped she wasn’t getting in over her head, sending a prayer up to the heavens as the pair neared the chaos ahead. 

s **~Two miles out~**

Levi squad ran at high speed on their mounts, leading three ten plus high titans towards a patch of forest, aiming to move from their mounts to the trees to safely dispatch them. Levi looked back at his squad, judging the distance of them and the titans. Oluo and Petra had their horse’s positions on Levi’s left and right side while Eld and Gunther pulled up the rear. 

“Captain Levi, they are gaining on us! Should we engage now?!” The only female of the group looked to her captain for a response. Levi pondered her words for a moment, turning his head back to look ahead. “No, stay with the original plan.” His words were low yet absolute. 

“Yes sir!” The squad answered back to his response, completely confident in their commander. 

As tough and cold as he might appear, Levi Ackerman cared for the soldiers under his command. He was confident they could easily dispatch the titans without using the trees. His team was meticulously picked by him, and there was no doubt they could back him up when things got hairy. Yet it was always better to be safe than sorry. They neared their target of trees, about to switch to their 3D maneuvering gear when they heard the roar of a lightning strike behind them. Startled, the group turned their eyes to the sky, expecting clouds and rain. 

_‘Lightning? There was no sign of it getting dark or raining.’_ Levi looked to the sky, confused to see it as clear as can be, no rain clouds in sight. 

“Captain Levi, the titans! They seem to be frozen!” Eld his second command had stopped his horse, looking at the titans in who were no longer in pursuit. The rest of the squad halted as well, looking back at the scene. They were indeed frozen, shaking and grunting as something that resembled an electrical current danced around the bodies. The team sat on their mounts, dumbfounded. From behind them, a green flash flew over the group and towards the three titans who were slowly shaking off the effects of the lightning. The cloaked figure didn’t give them the chance to fully recover, quickly flying behind them and slicing two of the titan’s necks, anchoring behind the last titan, effortlessly slicing the nape of the neck. Levi squad covered their eyes from the dust and steam that flew their way from the massive bodies hitting the ground. The figure landed gracefully on the head of the closest downed titan to the group, their swords outstretched on each side of their body, facing them. None of the group could make out any features of the person due to the dust cloud that still covered the area of the dead titans. 

“Whoever that was had extremely good form, it was a clean kill. It reminded me of your kills Captain Levi.” Levi frowned at Petra’s awed comment. 

_‘A kill as good as him, huh?’_

The dust finally settled revealing the identity of the figure. A woman, appearing no older than early thirties stood tall on the titan, her small frame clad in a faded black form fitting outfit paired with the Wings of Freedom cloak that blew gently against the wind. Her onyx hair tied in a messy ponytail to her neck and her swords extended on each side of her, attached to her maneuvering gear. Her most striking features were her eyes. A bright violet color that observed each member below, as if staring into their souls. 

“Who are you?” Eld, Levi’s second in command took the lead, asking the question on everyone’s mind. The woman focused on Eld for a moment before looking past him, staring off into the distance. The motion seemed to rub Oluo the wrong way. 

“Hey! Don’t ignore him! You may wear our colors but I’m sure you don’t belong to the Survey Corps! Besides the cape your outfit is completely different! Answer his question, who are yo..?” The sound of Oluo piercing his tongue with his teeth, a disgusting sound that made him dramatically leak out spit and blood. The scene caused the woman to glance back at the now crazed Oluo who was trying to ease the pain of his bruised tongue while his teammates aside from Levi watched him with a disgusted yet sympathetic look. 

“Mia, over here! Nice kill!” Alric rode over on Red towards the group, stopping just short of where Petra and Gunther had stopped their mounts. He gazed up at the woman he just called Mia. 

“Good to see you alive Alric, though you look a little worse for wear, and bloody to boot, are you ok?” Levi squad looked over Alric’s appearance at Gunther’s observation taking in his ripped and blood-soaked uniform. 

“Yes, I’m fine, thanks to Mia over there. It’s a long story, but the short of it is this woman saved my life. I’m the lone survivor of my squad and I have Mia to thank for putting her life on the line to save mine." The group of four focused their attention on Alric’s story, reacting in their own separate ways. Levi was the only one to listen to the story but keep his un-trusting eyes on Mia. 

Mia on the other hand inwardly sighed. She wasn’t ready to come out and be known to the people from the wall. She didn’t know if she would ever be ready. She had hoped to drop the boy off before anyone saw her and sneak off but when she saw the three titans almost on the group she jumped into action without a second thought. _‘Maybe I can still sneak off while they are focused on Alric.’_ There was not a good chance of that happening while the shortest member of the group watching her like a hawk. Making up her mind to stick it out she slowly sheathed her swords, making sure to carefully watch the entire group in case they took her movement as an attack. 

Her hands free, she jumped down from the titan, landing a foot from the group, her eyes mostly watching the man who still intently watched her every move. Taking a deep breathe, she decided to address the group, keeping her guard up because of her fear to trust. She just hoped they wouldn’t take her first statement as anything other than _“please don’t press me right now.”_

“My name is Mia. As for the rest of your questions, I am not willing to share anything besides my name.” 

**END OF CHAPTER 2**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Took me a long time to finish this first chapter. Longer than I anticipated because of the holidays and my new job but here you all are! Super excited to write this chapter and share it! Have fun reading guys! I’m already working on the second chapter!


	3. Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DO NOT OWN ANY CHARACTERS FROM THE ATTACK ON TITAN UNIVERSE!  
> I do own my own personal characters Mia and Alric.  
> I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Attack on Titan Fanfic

Author: Midnight_Serenity

Chapter 3: Trust

The air crackled with intensity as a stand off between Levi squad and their rescuer Mia heated up. Alric looked at their new comrade in arms, or at least that’s what he considered her. The pain and horror he had endured today and the bravery and selflessness she had shown towards saving him despite almost being eaten along with the rest of his squad, was nothing short of amazing. The way she had effortlessly took down the single titan that had demolished his entire squad and then was able to heal his injuries enough for him to stand minutes later, was nothing short of a miracle. She could have just left him to his fate and the fact that she hadn’t, made Alric forever grateful for her. Because of her he had his life. Because of her, he could see his sweet little daughter again. 

_‘Alicia.’_

The name of his daughter whispered through his mind, his poor little daughter. He had feared after he had died that she would be left with no one. His wife had died giving birth to her, leaving her without a mother. He had done his best as a single father, watching her grow to have honey kissed hair and bright blue eyes, a spinning image of her mother and vowing to do anything in his power to make her happy. Enlisting in the military at the first opportunity. It gave him enough money to send to his mother and father who lived on the outskirts of Wall Maria, caring for Alicia while he was away. He had feared the worst he wouldn’t be able to see her huge welcoming smile again once he was in the jaws of the titan. When he laid eyes on Mia it was like he had seen an angel come down to save him, to allow him to see his daughter once more. The smile of his daughter brought a tired smile to his lips, eager to see her again. 

His smile was short lived as he noticed Petra and Eld ready to engage Mia, swords at the ready due to her earlier seemingly rude statement. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Captain Levi tense up at her words, clearly on guard. At this point he knew he had to step in and play mediator before things got worse. He quickly positioned the mare he rode on between his comrades in arms and Mia, outstretching his arms to their full length in a pleading manor. 

“Please everyone, calm down and take a deep breath. All Mia meant was that she doesn’t know us well enough to open up to us and share anything with us. If we were in her position I believe we would all act the same.” Alric spoke to the group with what he hoped was a convincing smile, trying to calm the hostile mood. 

“I trust her. She saved my life. Gave me a chance to see my daughter again. She didn’t give up on me even when she saw my grave injuries. I mean when she found me, I was halfway inside a titan for gods sake! I understand if you don’t trust her, but at least trust me on this, she is a good person who only wishes to help us.” His plea did not fall on deaf ears, earning him quite a few grimaces and slightly shocked faces from the whole group. He hoped what he shared with everyone was enough to defuse the situation enough for them to keep Mia off their list. 

Mia stared up at Alric, surprise written on her face as she watched the boy she had just met stick his neck out for her. She had never had anyone to stick up for her, didn’t know how to process the sudden flow of emotion that came along with the kind gesture. The hostility she had received from the squad, she was used to, could handle with ease. But kindness, was something she had to get used to. Just as Alric had said about her, she would say right back. He was a good guy. She felt his kind pure soul as soon as she had placed her hand on his injuries. 

Mia took a good look at each expression after Alric’s speech. Noticing his calm yet pained demeanor as he tried to keep the peace. Than moving to the gentleman who had bitten his tongue, Oluo still nursing the bruised organ while the other two gentlemen to Oluo’s right whose names if she remembered correctly were Eld and Gunther stuck together, eyes moving from Alric to her, untrusting eyes thrown her way. The lone female of the group, whose name Mia never heard, kept close to their leader, watching Levi yet still looking Mia’s way every now again, as if she was waiting for her Captain to give her an order. Mia’s eyes finally focused on the leader of the group Levi, a shorter man than average about her height who gaze never left her own. The only time he broke his stare was to listen to Alric, but then quickly returned to her, not trusting her one bit. 

_‘Smart man.’_

She could tell without a doubt he was the most dangerous of the group, betting that he automatically had a mistrust of everyone. Mia gave him a once over. Though he was short, what he lacked in height he made up for in strength. He was built very well most likely from hard work and great genes, and most likely very agile. He was an attractive man. He reminded her of herself, not only due to his good body and sharp mind, but due to a special quality he possessed. Something that his teammates lacked. She couldn’t pinpoint what is was, but she knew it was the reason they watched one another. She was sure he could since she was special in some way, as he was. Mia closed her eyes briefly at the thought, slightly amused. 

_‘Man, if you only knew how ‘special’ I really am. I wouldn’t put it past you to either recruit me on the spot, cut me down where I stand.’_

She let out a small chuckle at the thought, opening her eyes to realize she had all eyes on her once more, confusion coating their expressions. 

_‘Well, shit.’_

Mia walked out from behind Alric and Red, facing Levi squad head on. She addressed Levi directly yet kept her peripherals on the rest of the group, making sure they didn’t make a move for her while she spoke. 

“I apologize for my shortness earlier. I am not used to human interaction and am not used to having to trust anyone. I’m sure trust does not come easy for anyone. Please allow me to introduce myself again. My name is Mia and I am not from the any part of the walls. I am nothing more than a traveler. Studying and killing any titans I see.” Mia hoped she sounded sincere in her apology, for now that’s all she wanted to share with them. 

A soft hesitant laugh sounded as Mia turned her attention to Petra. 

“You make that sound like its easy to just wander around here killing titans as you please.” Petra’s voice was laced with a disbelieving tone

“Well considering how fast and efficient she took down those three titans chasing us earlier, I’m inclined to believe her.” Gunter spoke up for the first time in a while, answering Petra’s skeptical comeback. Eld and Oluo nodded their heads at Gunter’s declaration. 

“There is always an unknown factor when engaging titans, as I’m sure you all know.” Mia kept her eyes on Gunter when she spoke. 

“If I make it look easy its just because I’ve been surrounded by them for a long time, but I am always on guard.” 

To this day she was still scared of the towering flesh-eating beats. Every move she made was carefully thought out, avoiding risky moves at all costs. Until today of course and look what came of it. Seeming to deem her as non-threatening, Levi finally looked away from her, addressing his squad. 

“Let’s move, we have stayed in one place too long.” 

Levi’s words were swift and non-negotiable as he mounted his dark mare and rode off towards the west, his squad quickly following behind him. Mia watched them ride past her, turning back to look at Alric with an eyebrow raised in question. 

“Well then.” She muttered. 

Nothing like being the center of attention one moment, then being left out to dry the next. 

“Ha-ha.” Alric chuckled. 

“Captain Levi is like that to everyone, don’t worry.” He repositioned his tired body in the sattle. 

“Though seeing as how he left me with you, I think the Captain wanted you to follow them. Most likely to meet our Commander.” 

Mia gave him her best “are you kidding” me stare that he shrugged off, wincing in pain at the sudden movement. She swiftly mounted Red in front of Alric. 

“Let’s follow them quickly then. I can feel that your still in a good amount of pain. I couldn’t heal everything and if they are taking us to your camp, I’m assuming medical assistance will be there. Hold on to me as tight as you can.” She already felt Alric circle his arms around her as she spoke. 

“Thank you.” He responded. 

Mia kicked Red into a canter, heading towards the five green fluttering wings of freedom cloaks, remembering Alric’s explanation of the wings that she herself had been wearing for years yet being unaware of what they meant. Now as she watched the five in front of her, their wings softly flying as the cloaks moved, she was starting to see why they were called “The Wings of Freedom.” 

Some time had passed since the group of seven started towards the full might of the Scouting Legion. They had been lucky enough to stay out of the path of titans, and so far, the horde of titans Mia had felt were far off towards the North. Mia took in the silence of the group. There was next to no talking as they rode, and she knew it was due to being seasoned soldiers, knowing full well the dangers out here. She felt the focused demeanor on each member of the squad, all of them ready for the worst situation at a moment’s notice, yet at the same time she felt a deep trust for their leader, Levi. It was a sight to behold as she rode behind them pulling up the rear of the group. 

A moment later Mia sensed more auras nearby, knowing they were close to the Scout campsite blowing out a grateful sigh for Alric’s sake. She peeked behind her to her riding partner, seeing his eyes glazed over. She knew he was growing tired quickly, being in pain for a long period of time. His unfocused stare worried her until he noticed her stare, focusing on her face and smiling weakly at her. She turned back to face in front of her, glad he was still able to focus at least for the moment. She followed the squad through a clearing of forest, quickly adjusting her vision from the glare of the sun as they rode into the squad camp. The area was a large patch of lush grass with a small farm house sitting in the middle. Off to the left of the house stood two make shift tents littered with soldiers in and around the area. Countless mounts were off to the right side of the house, in a small gated off fence. Looking around the perimeter, Mia counted five look out squads on every edge of the clearing. 

Mia followed Levi squad towards one of the tents around the farmhouse, noticing the glances and whispers aimed in her direction, impressed that the scouts immediately noticed a new presence. 

“Of course we would notice a new face right away. We are all highly trained soldiers. As soon as we leave the wall everyone is on high alert.” Mia turned her head sharply towards Petra, who had answered her question. She hadn’t noticed she had said that out loud. _‘Whoops. Must be getting tired.’_ She moved her gaze from Petra and onto the soldiers who had come up to meet them as she answered, “Ill keep that in mind.” 

As the small group of scouts reached them Levi commanded them to remove Alric from Mia’s horse for medical attention, to which the scouts jumped to attention, carefully moving Alric down and onto a makeshift stretcher, carrying him towards a tent off to the right that had a red cross at the top. With Alric safely away, Levi and his squad dismounted, leading their mounts towards the makeshift horse enclosure as Mia followed suit. She led Red to the enclosure but instead of leaving Red inside, she tied the horse to one of the fence rails. If things went south with the meeting of their leader, she wanted Red to be ready to move. Eld walked through the gate, Gunter, Petra, and Oluo close behind him as Levi walked up to the group eyeing her as he spoke. 

“Keith is waiting for you, this way.” Levi motioned towards the tent behind them as Mia nodded her head. Walking towards the tent she noticed the squad had surrounded her. Levi walked just ahead of her while Gunther and Eld walked on either side of her, Oluo and Petra bringing up the rear essentially trapping her inside their makeshift escape proof shield. It was hard not to let out a chuckle at their plan. It was very…cute. _‘That’s not nice to say, I’m sure they are really trying to keep me from leaving if I get cold feet or something hehe.’_ She smiled to herself briefly as they came to the entrance of the tent. Levi walked straight into the tent without pausing while his squad took position around the entrance. Mia stopped for a minute, unsure if she should wait to be called in or just follow Levi. She tilted her head towards Eld for guidance, receiving a small nod to enter. Taking that as permission yet feeling slightly nervous, she took a deep breath and walked inside. 

Mia’s violet eyes first noticed a giant map atop a waist length table in the middle of the tent. Stopping a few inches from the table she took in its contents. It seems the scouts had progressed farther inwards than she initially thought. Even farther than her last hide out spot she had stayed in for a year. She must have looked surprised, hearing a voice address her from across the tent. 

“I take it your surprised we have scouted this far huh?” She looked up from the map to find the entire room watching her from the other side of the table. 

Mia focused on the man opposite her who had asked her the question. Next to him on his left were three scouts that looked to be a part of his immediate officer team, taking notice of their calm yet focused auras. She knew they were seasoned veterans. The right side of the gentleman that spoke to her were much more…interesting personalities. The first was a woman with chestnut brown hair tied in a high pony tail with bangs hanging down on each side of her face. Glasses framed around her excited eyes with a strap wrapping around her head to keep them on when using the three-dimensional gear. Her steady yet excited gaze lay on Mia, giving her the impression that she was a force to be reckoned with. Something in the brunettes excited gaze unnerved her, like she had found a new toy that she couldn’t wait to play with. Tearing her gaze from the woman, she looked to her right at the corner of the tent and stopped on a pair of icy blue eyes belonging to a tall man standing next to Levi, almost towering over him and no doubt herself if she got close to him. Those blue eyes almost piercing through her as he and Levi turned their gazes to her, having talked amongst themselves until she walked into the tent. Blond hair parted on the left side of his face and eyebrows unusually thick, she couldn’t see much but his eyes. He looked at her with a calm yet commanding stare, his aura completely different from that of Levi’s. One that felt like she would follow this man wherever he went. Without question. 

The clearing of a throat resonated inside the tent, drawing Mia back to the gentleman standing opposite to her, who had spoken to her upon entering. Finally taking in the features of the man who looked at her with a look of impatience, he was roughly the height of the blond, blue eyed man except his eyes were a light hazel color and he had no hair aside from a goatee. Wrinkles seemed etched on his forehead and around his eyes, both of which were rimmed with dark almost black circles, giving his outward appearance one of intimidation. Mia knew it was because of the horrors he must have experienced in his life. His arms crossed in front of him as he gave her what she assumed was an intimidating glare with a hint of annoyance and impatience sprinkled in. If she was younger, that look would have her shrinking back in fear. The look reminded her of her captor and tormentor Bram. Even bringing up the name inwardly made her flinch as she lost many nights of sleep remembering that monster. 

“As a matter of fact, I am impressed.” Putting on her best neutral face she finally addressed the impatient man. 

His eyes narrowed at her words. “My name is Keith Shadis. I am the Commander of the Scouting Legion. From what little information Levi has been able to tell me, you do not live inside of the walls. Which I find very hard to believe. So, where do you come from?” 

“It’s true.” She said plainly. She didn’t know how else to put it. She watched Keith twitch his eye in annoyance at her non-explanative words. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the blond man dorn a smile. A small one, yet it made her heart start to race. 

She quickly turned her full attention back to Keith as he continued to press her. “Ok, then let’s say this is true. That you have managed to live outside here with all the titans roaming around long enough to find one of our cloaks and a set of ODM gear, being able to use it with little effort or so I’m told. Where are you from?” Mia could tell he was trying to be patient with her, but he did not believe her in the slightest and she didn’t know how to respond to him. 

Mia wasn’t sure she could trust these people, these soldiers with who she was. What she was capable of, her background. On the other hand, if she danced around the question she could be playing with fire. Seeing how serious this Keith was, she could have the entire Scout Legion to deal with if she didn’t play this right, and that would prove... problematic. 

Mia choose her words carefully. “To be honest, I’m not sure where I come from. I awoke one day years ago, knowing nothing about myself. Not even my own name. The one thing I found out very quickly being that I could defend myself against the titans. Ever since then, I’ve been wandering around alone, honing my skills and abilities, killing bea..titans.” Whoops almost slipped up there, the word titan wasn’t quite engrained in her brain yet. “I sometimes came across unique titans I would avoid and study. Basically, just surviving, same as all of you I assume.” Not the whole truth, yet she hoped it was enough for the group to not run her off. 

The woman with glasses next to Keith seemed to appreciate her explanation, her face lighting up, almost sparkling with excitement as she heard Mia talk about studies on the titans. From the corner of her eye she watched Levi place his hand quickly on her shoulder to keep the woman from interrupting, as if he sensed she was about to. Keith continued, undeterred with her statement wanting to press her about the second issue he saw. “And the Scout Cloak and ODM gear?” 

“I found them both at a battleground where some of your scouts had fallen to titans. I was able to find a semi un bloodied cloak for warmth and enough parts of an ODM to put together a working one. I’ve had enough time out here to practice with it to be adequate.” She watched almost all the soldiers wince as she explained the scene she found that day of the many body and machine parts after a titan attack as she no doubt knew they had all witnessed a horror similar to what she saw on a daily basis. “The training of the ODM took longer that usual due to the gas cylinders I had to scavenge. From Soldiers who had passed away of course. I also made sure there were no scouts around that would have scavenged what they could themselves. And I always buried the bodies to respect the people who I took the gas from.” 

A tense silence filled the room as she finished. It was briefly shattered as a soldier walked into the tent behind her, slipping past her to the big blond soldier and Levi, relaying information quietly to them as Keith decided to break the silence for good a moment later. “Very well…” Keith was about to continue yet found he didn’t know her name. Mia picked up on this, “Mia, just Mia.” Keith nodded, continuing. “Very well, Just Mia. I have many more questions for you, but they will have to wait.” She inwardly sighed, thanking the Gods the interrogation was over. 

“For now, introductions need to be made. To my right is Erwin Smith, my second in command.” She looked back to the blond man relieved to finally know his name. Erwin Smith. She listened to Keith’s next words. “Next to Erwin is someone you already know. Squad Captain Levi, in charge of what is widely called “Levi Squad.” And finally, next to Levi is Squad Captain Hanji.” Keith continued his introduction of the room, yet Mia stopped listening after Hanji was introduced. The only three who stood out to her. They all had different auras about them that outshined everyone else in the room. She heard Keith say they were all officers and specialized in different skills. Hanji’s love of al things titans impressed her, making a mental note to compare notes later. It also made sense why Hanji got excited when Mia spoke about them. She noticed the soldier still whispering to Levi and Erwin and used her good hearing to easily overhear their conversation while still watching Shadis to keep him from thinking she wasn’t paying attention. 

“I have a report Sir. Miche has noticed titan behavior increasing. Possibly from the arrival of the newbie and Levi Squad. Miche thinks that she stirred the small horde to the west when she dispatched the two titans earlier.” Mia put another mental note in her head upon hearing the name _‘Miche, huh? If he is good enough to sense the same horde I did than it is a name I need to remember.’_ Mia kept her eyes and “attention” on Keith while he rambled on about another officer while really paying attention to the messenger’s next words to Erwin and Levi. “Miche suggests we move on from here before the horde reaches us.” As if the messenger’s words lighted a fire under Erwin, he immediately walked over to Keith, relaying the information for the whole room to hear. Keith then commanded Erwin to round up the Scouts and be prepared to move within the hour. Erwin took over command of the room from there, setting everyone into motion. The whole tent aside from Keith and herself was cleared out in a matter of moments. 

Keith watched her every movement as the tent cleared out, waiting to see if she would make a rush for the door or any suspicious activity. Unbenownsed to Keith, Mia was thinking of fleeing at that point. As much as these group of unique soldiers intrigued her, she was scared of joining them. If they found out about her, about what she was capable of, she was scared of them exploiting her and shed be damned before being locked up and used again. But there was one small thought in her mind. Something inside of her that told her to trust this group. Was she destined to meet with the Scouting Corp for a reason? But why now? Suddenly the words she knew all too well came flooding back. _‘Protect humanity! Save it!’_ She raised a hand to her throbbing head. Looking at Keith she noticed his expression was guarded and watched her carefully. She removed her hand from her head as the pain receded. At that moment she made up her mind. “I would like to come along. Like you, I also have some questions about, well everything.” She had no doubt he would accept her request yet thought it better to ask. 

Keith thought for a moment before agreeing to take her along, not letting her know he already was planning on taking her back with them. He walked around the map to stand in front of her, noticing their height difference for the first time. She was a tiny thing, reminding him of Levi. “That I do. You may come along but being an unknown like the titans that roam this land, we will be watching you closely.” He said no more, walking past her and outside the tent to check the status of their departure. Watching him leave she looked beyond the opening of the tent, watching Keith’s form walk father away from her she murmured; “Sir, yes sir.” She sent a silent prayer up to whoever was watching over her, hoping that she was making the right decision. 

**END OF CHAPTER 3**


	4. A Close Encounter With the Horde

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! Im very sorry about the delay in posting there was a tragic death of our family pet and ive been a complete mess for a week, but thank you all for your patience as I am back on track!  
> I hope you all enjoy the chapter! :)

Attack on Titan Fanfic 

Author: Midnight_Serenity 

Chapter 4: A Close Encounter with the Horde 

_‘What have I gotten myself into?’_

Mia walked through the tent opening into a flurry of bodies and horses pondering the question she had asked herself. She slipped through the madness looking for her beloved mare. Thankfully she was in the same spot Mia had left her. Red seemed to spot her as she approached, throwing her head back and forth in a happy gesture. Reaching her mare, she placed her hand on the bridge of Red’s nose, stroking it gently for a moment as she accessed the madness around her. 

Mia saw soldiers falling into formation near the start of the thick forest noticing some of the officers she met a few minutes ago including some faces she didn’t recognize leading the front of the group. Levi Squad fell in close behind the officers. Behind them, all other soldiers gathered in perfect formation behind them, some pulling carts behind them. She sensed Alric among one of the carts, figuring the reason behind the carts were for keeping the injured safe while traveling, among keeping the necessary equipment in the remaining carts. Untying Red’s reins from the pole she quickly mounted her steed, heading towards the front line, wanting the officers to notice she was there and not planning to run or do anything rash. She pulled Red alongside a tall gentleman on his horse, his bangs parted down the middle of his head with a short mustache and beard that were a few shades darker than his blonde hair. To her, he looked like a capable man, his aura only slightly duller than Levi or Erwin’s. She decided to keep a watch on him. 

Soon after Mia pulled up to the group, Keith motioned everyone to move out and kicking Red into gear, they set off. Riding with a group was exhilarating. She had never felt like this before. As if her worries and fears had simply disappeared with the wind. She focused on the sky through the trees, feeling the wind growing colder by the minute, signaling to her that it would grow dark soon. She knew then that she had steered this group way off their intended schedule by her sudden appearance and she instantly felt guilty.It was not a good idea to be outtside the walls at night. It was just as dangerous as being out here while there was still light. While titans did lie dormant during the night, if they ran into an abnormal type, they could still move. Slower than when the sun was up, but enough to still pose a threat to their lives, as she almost learned the hard way a few years ago. 

She noticed a gaze on her, turning towards the gentleman a little way to her left. The same one with parted bangs, staring at her with unreadable expression. She quickly looked away with a flush, embarrassed that he had caught her off guard in her own thoughts. Though she was nervous for the group, she couldn’t help but feel a little happy it was like she was seeing everything in a new light. Red seemed to feel the same, letting out a happy whinny and shaking her head as they came out of a clearing of the forest. Past the clearing, she could make out the outline of the walls, feeling the nerves she had pulling their way into the front of her mind. 

A sudden flare flew high into the sky causing Mia to snap her head up. Two red flares simultaneously went off to her left followed by green flares started by Erwin. The entire formation shifted to the right, following their lead she too merged to the right. She let her senses take over, feeling out the threat. Five titans ran to the left side of them, ranging in size and speed they headed straight for them. 

The horde had found them. 

As they rode in the clearing with forest surrounding them on both sides, a horse carrying two riders burst through the right side of the forest trees. Both soldiers completely covered in blood, yet she sensed it was mostly from one of the riders, as could tell the second rider was unresponsive, leaning heavily on his partners back. He was beyond saving as death clung to him. To her left, the gentleman who had been watching her, noticed the newcomers, immediately sending out a purple flare to alert the rest of the Scouts. Keith as well as the other officers took notice but did nothing to help the newcomers. She realized they meant to leave them behind to either catch up or be eaten by the horde. The bloody soldier waved his hand furiously, yelling at them desperately. 

“TITANS! THERE ARE TITANS BEHIND US!” The desperate soldier bellowed to the group. Mia quickly searched behind the bloody soldier, not believing that she didn’t sense the titans he had just warned them about. Were her senses distracted by the horde? Yet when she let out her powers to search for the titans he warned about, she did feel more titans. 

_‘Impossible! How could I have missed them?!’_

Two eight-foot titans burst through the trees near the newcomers in blood. The soldier looked behind him screaming and ducking away as one of the titans swung a giant hand towards him, narrowly missing him. The unconscious rider was not as lucky, his form falling from the horse as the support of the other soldier vanished as he ducked, gasping in horror as he watched his friend roll to the ground with a sickening crunch and straight towards the second eight-meter titan. Mia felt his life force go out as the unconscious soldier was crushed to death seconds later under the weight of the titan who paid no mind to the hinderance, his attention fully on the other bloody soldier on horseback. 

The rider kicked his horse harder hoping to speed up, crying uncontrollably at the loss of his friend as both titans continually gained on him. Mia cursed her inability to notice the two titans and steered Red towards the them, hoping to make it in time to save this soldier at least. Around her, she heard more flares go off, presumably to alert the rest of the Scouts farther behind and in front of them about the new threat. She also thought she heard her name among the orders that were yelled throughout the officers and soldiers alike. She paid the voices no mind, racing towards the solder and two eight meters, practically soaring though the air with Red resulting in her hood flying down, releasing her dark locks to flow around her. 

In what seemed like slow motion to Mia, she watched the closest titan reach for the crying soldier, knowing it would grab him. Without a second thought, she focused her power to her markings, placing a protective shield of electric energy around the soldier and horse, repelling the titans hand away with an electric current. The flesh of the titans hand flew off the bone, sending flesh and blood flying in every direction. The titan stopped in its tracks, glancing at its hand in wonder, seeming to not be in any pain as flesh slowly started growing around the bone of its hand. The second titan continued to chase the soldier as he looked behind around him at the forcefield, his face full of confusion and fear. As Mia closed in on the soldier and his pursuer, she angled Red parallel to the titan and soldier, riding just a hair length to the side of them sitting up in her saddle, her bright violet eyes set on the titan still hot on the soldiers heels. She gripped her maneuvering gear, activating one of the wires to sink into the neck of the titan, using the gas and the speed of the titan to propel her towards it at high speed while drawing her blades, angling them above her head and moving her body into a circular motion, slicing the base of the titans neck with one clean swipe. 

Mia fell with the titan, keeping her feet balanced on its back as if fell forward, her maneuvering gear still stuck in the neck of it as she focused her glowing eyes on the second titan, hearing someone yell her name once again. To her surprise the second titan was only inches from her, reaching to grab her. 

“Shit!” 

Time seemed to slow as she knew all eyes were on her as she heard her name shouted in worry, recognizing the voice to be Alric’s. She unconsciously grew warm inside, touched that he cared enough about her to shout her name in warning even though he was hurt. 

Focusing back on the hand of the titan that came closer and closer to her with each second, she focused the power of her marks through her hands and down to her fingertips, outstretching her own hand towards the titan gathering energy inside of herself. Her glaring eyes reflected the power by glowing even brighter, and finally she released it in an electric wave through her hand as soon as the lines and wrinkles of the titans hand were visible. The wave created a large blast that disintegrated the entire left side of the titan, the recoil shuddering the tree branches and blowing the grass violently. What was left of the titan fell backwards with a hard thud, beginning to disintegrate fully as the sensitive part of the neck had been blown away by the blast. 

Everything went still. 

Mia lowered her hand slowly, feeling the power in her begin to die down. Red came to a stop near her and she jumped down from the first disintegrating titan and swiftly mounted her mare, steering her towards the Scouts. She spotted the bloody soldier she had just saved not far from her, riding up near him waving her fingers lightly to disarm the forcefield around him. She avoided the gazes of Scouts, especially the officers, afraid of judgement she was sure lay in their expressions. Though at least she wasn’t immediately chased off by them, she was a monster after all. She pulled Red alongside the scout she had just saved, glancing his way shyly expecting him to either ignore her or ride off in fear. Instead, he watched her, looking at her with relief though his tear stained gaze. 

“Thank you. Thank you so much.” A simple thank you left his lips, yet it radiated through her. She turned to look at the other Scouts around her, suddenly having courage to face them. None of them wore faces of fear or judgement. Some kept looking ahead like it was normal what she had just done. Others gave her awed, approving glances, some with thumbs up. Mia felt enlightened. Dumbfounded. It was unbelievable what she was receiving from the scouts. 

ACCEPTANCE. 

She felt a weight she didn’t know existed lifting off her. She wanted to cry in sheer joy. She turned back to the soldier she had saved, slightly surprised to see him still watching her, his eyes still wet with tears as he moved his arm in a kind of salute to her, his fist upturning and slamming into his chest over his heart. It was an odd sort of salute, but she repeated the gesture not wanting to appear rude. Was this what she was missing out on, choosing to stay out here for so long instead of making contact? She continued to ride alongside the soldier until they approached the wall, remembering there were always titans surrounding the perimeter. 

Mia kicked Red into a gallop, heading to the front of the group, falling alongside Gunther who acknowledged her with a nod of his head. The horde that had come very close to them earlier still trailed close behind them far enough away for the scouts to not realize they were still there, but she still felt their presence. As if by some form of nature that kept the titans from loosing our trail. Which didn’t make sense to her because they had no intelligence. If the Scouts stayed with the pace they were at now, the horde would not catch up to them again, so she thought better against telling Keith about them. She didn’t want to stress out anyone more than necessary. 

“Stand ready men! We are nearing the wall!” Keith’s voice boomed around the large area of soldiers, preparing them for the last stretch before being safely within the walls again. They came down the hill past the trees and the giant wall came more into focus. Hanji, Erwin and a few of Levi Squad shot off their flare guns to the soldiers on the lookout on the wall perimeter with multiple different colored flares, signaling their return. Mia could easily count a hundred or so titans roaming near the border of the wall, turning her head left to check on the horde to notice them closer than before. 

_‘But how? They couldn’t be moving faster than us. Even if they are Abnormals they caught up to us too quickly.’_ If they didn’t pick up the pace and fast, they will be on top of us and we will be between the horde and the titans that were sure to spot as soon as we got in range of the wall. Not good. She pulled her horse close to Erwin, choosing him over Keith due to Keith’s weary looks he had been sneaking her way since her show of power. She decided not to trust him, worst case scenario he brushed her off and his men would pay the price. She wouldn’t let that happen. There was also something about Erwin that she felt she could put the trust she lacked for Keith, into him. Erwin looked at her as she pulled Red up besides his white horse, listening quietly to her rushed yet quiet words. 

“Are you positive?” His fierce gaze looked at her as she nodded her response. 

“Yes, they gained on us very quickly. Too quickly. I have a bad feeling they are all abnormal types. If they catch up to us, I will stay behind and hold them off, giving you all a chance to head for the wall.” It was then that she realized that everyone around them had been listening to their conversation, as most of Levi Squad gave her a look like she had grown a second head. Hanji on the other hand started laughing, clearly either amused or incredulous about her decision. 

Erwin kept his composure, his intense stare on her as she flushed, looking to Hanji in pure confusion as if a huge question mark loomed above her head. He turned to face forward again hiding a small smile at her almost childish reaction. She was acting very heroic, and it was cute to him. 

“That kind of sacrifice is not necessary. We will deal with them if they get too close.” Out of the corner of his eye he watched her focus on him with wide disbelieving eyes. “For now, we must wait for the signal to charge towards the gate. Let me know if they get any closer so we can prepare for the worst.” His words held power, a power Mia couldn’t describe but she immediately took comfort in his words, beyond happy that she chose to talk to him and that he wasn’t willing to sacrifice her. A green flare rose from the wall, signaling them to make a break for the walls. A few soldiers including Erwin sent off response flares, telling the soldiers on the walls that they were on the move. The Scouts took off. 

Mia noticed the formation the Scouts used mirrored the same one she had witnessed the morning she had been watching them from afar including the soldiers who baited the titans on the walls with themselves, hanging from the walls far enough away from their grasping hands. Keith ordered a couple of soldiers to stay on the outside of the main group to watch for any stragglers that didn’t take the bait. 

A few tense moments later most of the Scouts had reached the gate passing safely through. Mia hung back, wanting to make sure she wasn’t needed to step in for any stragglers falling behind to get snatched up by one of the titans. Thankfully she was able to follow the last batch of soldiers through the gate as it was starting to close. She was hit with an almost blinding light as she passed through the gate, giving her no option but to put her arm up as defense for the intense light. As the blinding light faded she became aware of people around her. There lay a long stretch of road, on each side were houses stood as far as the eye could see. Villagers crowded around the Scouts on each side of the road creating a straight path ahead. 

Mia saw the soldiers walking a little way ahead of her. She quickly kicked Red into motion to catch up. She kept her gaze straight but was a little unnerved at the sight of so many people watching them at once. There were so many villagers, so many survivors she didn’t think she could even call them survivors. They had thrived inside these walls. They created a civilization. 

_‘But, how?’_ She had been looking for people for a long time. She never thought they could create a well strong enough and tall enough to keep the titans at bay. In her wildest dreams she could have never imagined THIS is what lay beyond the walls. There looked to be multiple walls that she was sure were filled with other people. It boggled her mind. 

As the Scouts and Mia rode quite a ways forward, Mia figured they were headed past this first wall. She took the opportunity to find the open cart that held Alric. Pulling up besides the cart she saw him laying close to her side along with another soldier she had never seen before. Alric was asleep and she didn’t want to disturb him when he needed to rest, so she kept her pace the same as the cart to watch over him as they walked towards their destination. The Scouting Legion base. What could await her there, she could only imagine. 

**END OF CHAPTER 4**


End file.
